A 52-year-old Cumberland County woman convicted of first-degree murder was denied post-conviction relief, according to a decision by the Superior Court of New Jersey’s Appellate Division from Jan. 15.

Denise Staples, who had been from Bridgeton, was first accused of murder on Dec. 13, 2001 after she stabbed an individual during an altercation.

She raised a defense of self-defense during her trial, but was ultimately found guilty by a jury and sentenced on July 2, 2004 to 60 years imprisonment to the Edna Mahan Correctional Facility for Women in Hunterdon County. She would be ineligible for parole for a 51-year period.

The state offered a plea agreement, according to the appellate division decision, to plead guilty to aggravated manslaughter and unlawful possession of a weapon — leading to an aggregated 14-year term and an eight-and-a-half period of parole ineligibility.

Staples rejected the offer, the decision states.

In 2007, Staples filed for post-conviction relief. She argued that her trial counsel was ineffective and failed to properly explain the plea agreement to her.

The relief was denied and later appealed by Staples.

In her appeal, Staples argued that the result of the trial would have gone differently with effective assistance from counsel, that counsel failed to hire appropriate experts for the trial and, because of the errors, she was deprived of a fair trial.

The appellate division found no merit to Staples’ contentions and affirm the previous denial of post-conviction relief.

“Suffice to say, for defendant to obtain relief based on ineffective assistance grounds, she is obliged to show not only the particular manner in which counsel’s performance was deficient, but also that the deficiency prejudiced her right to a fair trial,” the decision states.